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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — for paper
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. craft — boats
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — a video
  10. bound — obliged
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. craft — a skill
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bound — certain
  17. rule — a law
  18. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com